ADVANCED 4 – BRITANICO GOLD – READING TASK – JULY 2023

You are going to read an article about students who took gap years. For questions 31-40, choose from
the designers A-D. The designers may be chosen more than once.

The ‘Gap Year’: experiencing new sights, climates and cultures

A. Richard Olmos
When I left school, I felt it was time to do something different before going to university. I wanted to fill my gap
year with project activities and gain new skills. I knew there would be real benefits in doing it, provided I used the
time to maximum advantage. I spent four months on a teaching project in Ghana before travelling through Africa.
Working with people who came from such a different world to me really opened my mind. When I started my
degree back home, I could tell who had been on a gap year and who hadn’t. Those who had were very obviously
more mature. My advice to other gap year students is to evaluate what you’ve learnt afterwards and mention it
when writing to prospective employers, because you don’t want your good work to be dismissed as simply a
‘holiday’.

B. John Saffron
Believe it or not, it’s possible to choose to spend a gap year focusing on sports. I live in London, I’m mad about
football, so when I read in a magazine about a new gap year scheme a major football club was organizing, I
jumped at the chance of applying. Basically I spent four months working with children who were underperforming
in Maths and IT in a London school, encouraging them to get their work done by giving them a football session in
the afternoons. At the same time, I was given the opportunity to take a course in coaching. Then I spent some
time doing the same thing in a school in Australia. The thing is you don’t have to be brilliant at the sport. It’s more
important to have enthusiasm and good communication skills –you need to show you have them when they
interview you.

C. Louisa Powell
When you go on a gap year, you often have to cover your own expenses, you are a self-funding volunteer, and
as I am a poor student, I had to divide my gap year into two blocks –a ‘saving’ block then an ‘experiencing’ block.
As soon as my exams were over, I frantically applied for jobs, and more jobs. As well as working in an office, I
squeezed in an extra few hours working in a café to save up for my gap year. I then spent six months working in
one of South Africa’s wildlife conservation projects. From my gap year I learned that I couldn’t cook and that I was
completely ignorant about anything that wasn’t ‘western’. Furthermore, I came to realise that I wasn’t nearly as
clever as I thought I was.

D. Frank Holler
A representative from an organisation that helps students find their ideal gap year placement came to our school.
She said it was a good idea to spend a minimum of six months in one place. Another important thing she stressed
was the need to know exactly how you’re going to write up all your activities in a gap year. She suggested keeping
a journal, which I did. I needed to raise funds for my gap year, and I did it by asking lots of people for small
donations. I spent my gap year working as a language assistant in English language classes in Japan. I went to
some ordinary classes to improve my Japanese. I think it was the best way to learn the language. After my gap
year, everyone said I seemed more worldly. But I’d recommend going with somebody else, as it can be quite
isolating if you’re on your own.

Which person says

he/ she realised he/ she hadn’t developed some skills? 31. ___________
he/ she took several jobs in order to afford for his/ her gap year? 32. ___________
he/ she was excited to find a gap year that matched his/ her interests? 33. ___________
it was good to interact with people who had other backgrounds? 34. ___________
company is well-appreciated when you take a gap year? 35. ___________
he/ she worked helping students to do better in certain subjects? 36. ___________
he/ she was able to notice who had the experience of taking a gap year? 37. ___________
you must be able to get your message across when applying for a job? 38. ___________
you should mention your gap year experience when applying for jobs? 39. ___________
he/ she followed someone’s advice on recording his/ her experiences? 40. ___________